Have
you ever wished you could get more personalized instruction
from a presenter or a workshop? Webinars can give you the
personal attention you want in an easy-to-follow format, all
from the comfort of your own computer. In our continuing
efforts to increase communication and educational
opportunities for PATH Intl. members, PATH Intl. is launching
a new webinar system beginning in January 2012. Offerings in
January will include a guide through the PATH Intl. center
accreditation process as well as HIPAA training and awareness.
Dates and registration details will follow.

The Governance Committee Forms Bylaws Task Force

The Governance Committee of the PATH Intl. Board of Trustees
is forming a task force to review Article VI, Section 2 of the
PATH Intl. By-laws. At the annual meeting in November in
Lexington, KY, the new by-laws were passed with the exception
of this section. The task force will review this section and
make recommendations to the Governance Committee.

Task force applicants with experience in developing and
editing by-laws, knowledge of nonprofit governance and strong
writing skills should submit their resume and brief cover
letter demonstrating experience and intent by January 5, 2012,
to
Madelin Schlenz.

All applicants will have a response by January 13, 2012.

Thank you for your interest in helping with this important
task.

Thank You for Your Donations in 2011

Thank you to everyone who donated to PATH Intl. in 2011! We
raised nearly $1,000 online in December ($990 to be exact) and
are still busily compiling the other donations sent.

Thank you for your generosity and Happy New Year!

CHA Speaker Application

The Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) International
Conference is October 11-14, 2012, at Canyonview Equestrian
Center and College in Silverton, OR. CHA is now accepting
presenter applications for lectures, hands-on horse demos that
take place in a round pen or small arena and riding sessions
where participants ride on school horses provided by the
conference site. Please contact
Christy Landwehr at (720) 857-9550 to find out more about
speaking at the event. Be prepared to send a biography and
session description along with needs. Deadline is March 1,
2012 for all speaker applications.

Honor the Special People and Equines in Your Life

Throughout our lives, there are people who touch our hearts
and there are horses that change us forever. PATH Intl. is now
offering a way to honor the special people or equines in your
life or to remember someone who helped change your life. Click
here to visit the
In Honor and In Memory web page. Download the form and
fax, (303) 252-4610, or email it to
Megan Ream.

Enter Purina's Senior Horse Tales Contest

Purina is kicking off their Senior Horse Tales Contest, which
is an online contest for horse owners to submit their best
senior horse story. Purina is giving away one ton of feed to
the top three submissions.
Click here for more information.

Gentle Reminder: As with all equine/animal injuries, illnesses
or other abnormalities or medical/behavioral issues, please
contact your veterinarian for advice and/or assessment. These tips
will help you to identify potential issues but are not a
replacement for proper veterinary care and follow-up.

The majority of lameness in horses originates in the foot, so
eliminate the most obvious causes first by picking the feet out
and checking for any stones that may have become lodged in the
sole, frog or groove.

If there is nothing in the horse's hooves, the next step is to
start moving your hands up the legs, feeling for heat around the
coronary band and the heels. Check for signs of heat and swelling
between the fetlock and the knee or hock to help rule out any
problems in the tendon or ligament area. The knee, elbow and
shoulder in the foreleg, and the hock, stifle and hip in the hind
leg will also need to be examined.

However, lameness may occur before heat, swelling or wounds are
discernible by hand or eye alone, so it's important to hone our
detection skills. Lameness is often the way we find out that
something is wrong.

Here are some quick tricks for assessing limb lameness and then
the "how to's" of identifying the issue.

Lameness Clues

* To detect forelimb lameness, watch for nodding of the
horse's head. As the sore leg bears weight, the head will go up.
This is a way for the horse to take some of the weight off the
sore limb. It may be easier for you to watch, instead, for the
head and neck to go down as the sound hoof lands.
* If the horse is lame behind, his head will tend to go down as
the sore limb or hoof lands. This is also a method of minimizing
the weight landing on the sore leg. Head motion is not always the
clearest way to diagnose hindlimb lameness.
* To detect hindlimb lameness, stand behind the horse and watch
the point of the hip rise and fall. The hock and hip of the sore
leg may be carried higher. Again, this is a way to un-weight the
sore limb by lifting the hip and transferring weight to the sound
legs.
* Listen to the sound of the hooves as they make contact with a
solid, packed, level ground surface; the horse will put less
weight on the painful foot when he lands, so therefore it will
sound quieter.
* Observe the horse moving from the side and look for
variations in his length of stride. The sore leg will likely stay
in the air longer, though it may not be raised any higher.
* The reach of the lame leg may not be as far forward as that
of the sound leg; these are easy to compare when watching from the
side.
* The landing and weight-bearing phase of the sore leg will be
shorter than that of the sound leg. The sound limb will land early
and dwell on the ground longer.
* The break-over and takeoff of a sore limb may occur sooner,
particularly if the problem is a soft tissue injury, which is
painful to stretch as the limb extends the full way rearward, or
if the toe is sore.

At Rest

* Watch how the horse is standing. "Pointing" or resting a
forelimb out in front of the normal stance indicates lameness in
that limb. The sound forelimb will be vertical, taking most of the
weight. Viewed from the side, sore forelimbs (particularly if they
are both sore) are placed out front while the horse stands more
under himself (almost in a leaning posture) with both hind legs.
* A horse may show you he's sore by lying down more than usual,
by lying down at times or in places where he'd not normally lie
down or he may have trouble rising.

Leading and Groundwork

* Choose a hard surface because it will emphasize the
lameness. You're not working the horse hard for a long time on the
hard surface but instead are using the surface just long enough to
diagnose the problem. Your horse will be more sore when landing on
the less forgiving surface. A hard surface also makes it easier to
hear the rhythm and impact. You should hear an even, and evenly
weighted, 1-2-3-4 walk and 1-2-1-2 trot.
* Working the horse without a rider - and even without a saddle
- can remove these as variables. You want to isolate the problem
as being in the limbs. A saddle might pinch, or a rider's weight
might make a sore back uncomfortable; you want to concentrate on
the legs in this diagnostic work.
* The walk is slower and easier to watch while you practice
lameness detection, but the walk lacks the impact of the trot and
the horse's weight is distributed over three legs much of the
time. While a more painful lameness will show at the walk, the
trot will help you detect a more subtle lameness.
* Have a helper lead your horse in straight lines. Be sure the
horse is moving freely on a looping lead rope. A taut lead will
mask head movement and may make the horse move crooked.
* A longer distance gives you more time to get an impression
than a short one. You'll have a number of similar strides to
observe without the changes associated with the start and the
stop. Stand back far enough to see the whole picture.
* Watching from the side is the best position to detect evenness
of leg swings, the flight, forward reach, landing, weight bearing,
break-over and takeoff. Watch the horse pass by you as many times
as you need.
* Then watch the horse move straight away from and straight
toward you. This allows you to watch the flight path of the
hindlimbs and the hip motion, and then watch the forelimbs. The
limbs should move straight forward.
* Have a helper move the horse in a circle (at least 25' in
diameter). This way you can concentrate on the horse's movement
instead of on guiding him. Also, you can step out of the circle
and watch him all the way around without pivoting. Moving the
horse in a circle weights the inside legs more. This can
accentuate lameness on the inside limbs. This may help you see a
lameness problem that doesn't show up as well on straight lines.
You can use circles to help you differentiate which leg is sore
because when you circle the horse to the left (counterclockwise),
a left (inside) leg lameness will show up more clearly. At trot
when the diagonal pairs move together, this can help you
differentiate between the relative soundness of the legs in the
pair.
* The more attuned you are to your horses, the easier and
quicker the lameness diagnosis will be. Practice often so you know
what is and is not normal so treatment and rest can lead to
quicker recovery and happier horses.

Below is a short list of references for more information on equine
lameness issues. Your veterinarian is a good resource for
information as well:

www.aaep.org The Horse Conformation Handbook, by Heather Smith ThomasThe Horse in Motion, by Sarah Pilliner, Samantha Elmhurst
and Zoe DaviesHorse Gaits, Balance and Movement, by Susan E. HarrisRecognizing the Horse in Pain .... And What You Can Do About
It! by Dr. Joanna L. Robson, DVM, CVSMT, CVA, CMP, SFTThe United States Pony Club Manual: Basics for Beginners, D
Level, by Susan E. Harris
The Equine Welfare Committee encourages positive and engaging
educational exploration from our readers - we'd love to hear your
feedback! Please let us know if you have any questions about our
tip or have a suggestion about specific topics you would be
interested in learning more about in the future. Email
Kristin Mason, EWC chair. Thank you!

Due to a glitch, not everyone received the e-blast regarding the
instructor workshop in Region 5. The information is below.

Special Equestrians, Inc., in Indian Springs, AL, is hosting a
PATH Intl. On-Site Registered Level Instructor Workshop January
27-29, 2012. (Note: There is no on-site registered certification
offered.)

We hope 2012 will be full of exciting events at PATH Intl.
Centers! Click here to download the
intent to host forms for all PATH Intl. events. Read through
the intent to host packets for details concerning hosting an
event. We want to add more driving workshops on the west coast,
ESMHL workshops and skills tests and vaulting workshops/
certifications to our 2012 calendar, so please consider hosting an
event.

Unless otherwise noted, contact
Abby Hendren at (800) 369-7433, ext. 104, with
questions. All dates are subject to change. To register
for an event, please contact the host site directly. You
can locate its contact information under
Find a Center on the PATH Intl. home page or on the
PATH
Intl. events calendar.

PATH Intl. Driving Workshop and Certification
combination eventWorkshop is held the first 2-1/2 days, certification
held the last 2-1/2 days
August 7-11, 2012
BraveHearts at the Bergmann Center in Poplar Grove, IL

Please
direct correspondence about this newsletter to
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PATH Intl. PATH Intl. reserves the right to reject, accept and
edit submitted material. PATH Intl. eNews is intended
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for members in the field of equine assisted activities. The
opinions, practices or products presented in PATH Intl. eNews do
not necessarily reflect PATH Intl. policy, imply PATH Intl.
endorsement or comply with PATH Intl. standards.